Social networks represent one of the greatest existential threats to humanity according to some. A statement that at times may seem exaggerated, but at others quite the opposite. In The dilemma of social networks (The Social Dilemma), a documentary released today on Netflix, tries to bring that critical gaze closer to technology companies, to how they have not seen a series of problems coming and what the solutions could be.
we have lost our way
One of the phrases that attract attention as soon as the documentary begins is the one that Tristan Harris, former Google Ethical DesignerAs he begins to talk about his work at Gmail, he says, "We've lost our way." And it is that, at that time, the team in charge of the popular email service was more concerned with how to make it beautiful and "addictive" instead of a useful tool for the user and that did not end up chaining him.
A team of fifty designers make decisions that would affect two billion people
Of course, the Gmail inbox could be one of the least problems of all. The ones that worry the most right now are related to social networks and all that misinformation, manipulation, virality or addiction that generate. Because these end up affecting personal relationships and the individual's own mental health if he does not have the necessary tools to combat them, with the necessary education to know how to react.
The documentary, with a very careful and serious production, presents all these risks that experts in the field have been detecting. Some of them after having been responsible for part of the creation of many functionalities that we all know today. For example, you can see fragments of the interviews carried out with professionals who come directly from within the technology industry: Tim Kendall, director of monetization at Facebook; Justin Rosenstein, the inventor of the Like button; or Guillaume Chaslot, creator of the infrastructure of recommended videos for YouTube.
To help tell all this, the documentary is also based on a fictional family that serves to represent in its different members various stereotypes regarding the use of technology. From the one who is critical, to those who are unaware of its effects and those who suffer from it. And that's where he caught the attention of one of the sons, who is a victim of online manipulation.
They may sometimes exaggerate the situation, but in part it is a narrative resource that, by instilling some fear, is capable of "opening" the eyes of many parents and guardians who are not yet aware of what is happening in the online world. Logically without going into an extreme position, it is an effective resource if you know how to measure. Because you don't have to demonize like that first.
A documentary that seeks solutions
As we said, demonizing by directly exposing potential problems is not the solution. And that is part of something that this documentary also does well as the minutes go by. Because if at first everything looks very black, in the end you try to see what the solutions would be.
There, this group of interviewed experts acknowledge that measures such as the tools for the control of Digital Well-being or Time on the screen are already being implemented, although much more remains to be done. Because technology is one part of the problem, but the other is also the parents and guardians who must understand how everything works, what are the things they can do to educate the most vulnerable, the minors.
The product is the gradual, slight, imperceptible change in your behavior and perception. That is the real product, it is the only thing they can make money from. Change what you do, what you think.
Without a doubt, if you have Netflix we recommend that you watch it. Is an interesting proposal that complements very well other texts and productions that you may have already read or seen on the internet. Sometimes he repeats already typical phrases such as "If a service is not paid for, then you are the product." An accurate statement, but as described by Jaron Lanier. This says that the product is really getting you to change the ways of doing things, this is how they can get advertisers interested in showing their products and services to the user.
The Social Media Dilemma Is The Netflix Documentary You Should Watch to understand where we are.
https://youtu.be/eOXwPVD5cFg